Newly Diagnosed Thyroid Disorder Patients

For those of you that have been recently diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, you most likely have many questions that seem to have no answers. As you will learn, it is very difficult to get a definitive answer from your physician because thyroid balance is a matter of trial and error. If you have an overactive thyroid disorder, called hyperthyroidism, your treatment will be more definitive within a specific period of time. For patients who have an under active thyroid disorder, called hypothyroid, treatment will involve a thyroid supplement with the goal of correcting your thyroid imbalance. And to make this type of diagnosis even more complicating, the treatment for hyperthyroidism may ultimately lead to hypothyroidism. The questions get lengthier and the answers seem less obvious.

Thyroid disease is diagnosed in over thirteen million Americans each year making it one of the most prevalent health problems in the world. And because many thyroid disorder symptoms are vague, most newly diagnosed patients were caught by surprise when their diagnosis was made.

Treatment Options

Allopathic Medicine refers to the type of health care that is most common in America. Doctors who practice allopathic medicine prescribe surgery, prescription drugs, and physician or hospital visits.

Alternative Medicine refers to medical treatment that is alternative. Some groups refer to this treatment model as complementary or natural. These are the treatment models that have lasted centuries in cultures within areas other than the United States, such as China and include therapies such as herbal remedies and acupuncture.

Integrative Medicine is a combination of both types of medical treatments and it incorporates allopathic standards and treatment with natural re balancing options or alternative approaches.

Traditional and Alternative Testing Methods

Tests that measure the thyroid function are the standard of care for a newly diagnosed thyroid disorder patient. Some doctors will order a TSH and Total T4 as a preliminary screening tool. Various factors such as birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and estrogen replacement therapy can influence these test results. For this reason it is imperative that the patient divulge a complete medical history profile to the physician or technician administering the tests.

Additional blood tests might be ordered by the physician to better determine the state of the thyroid disorder. Included in these tests are Free T4, Free T3 and Reverse T3. Also a thyroid-binding globulin test might be ordered to measure the amount of tyrosine-containing protein that binds to iodine from the thyroid hormones. The reason for these additional tests is because high or low levels of TGB, for example, may affect the traditional thyroid tests such that they lead to false hormone levels.

In some cases a thyroid ultrasound or scan will be ordered by the attending physician as a method of digging deeper into the thyroid and examining its function completely without surgical treatment.

As with any newly diagnosed thyroid patient, an endocrinologist of primary physician is the best person to determine which tests should be administered.

Which Treatment Option is Best for Me?

The decision as to which treatment option a patient should peruse is a difficult one to answer without a one-on-one consultation with a personal physician or endocrinologist. In most cases, a newly diagnosed thyroid disorder patient will want to meet with the physician in the privacy of his/her office to discuss medical history and treatment options that are best for the type of disorder of which the patient was diagnosed.

No one should ever assume that all people would be treated with the same treatment plan. All people are unalike with differing medical history as well as many other factors, which make the thyroid disorder treatment plan necessitate a carefully planned strategy.

Treatment Hopes: Iodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer

For many people with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer, the recent news about Nexavar® comes as a welcome sign of hope. A recent study released by researchers who conducted a study at the University of Pennsylvania have published documentation showing that Nexavar® offers important success for the treatment of metastatic iodine-refractory thyroid cancer. The specific aspects of this study were released in a contemporary online writing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on June 9, 2008.

What is Iodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer?

Previously, there were no known treatments that were considered the standard of care of metastatic, iodine-refractory thyroid cancer. The most commonly chosen method of which to address thyroid carcinomas involves thyroidectomy, and post-surgery treatment of radioactive iodine in order to remove any thyroid residue in patients who are at a higher risk of developing a recurrence. Also, a thyroid hormone replacement is prescribed. Because several tumors will differentiate and develop into refractory to radioactive iodine. Subsequently, the prognosis for these patients is not good because there are no advantageous options for the patient's treatment.

What is Nexavar?

Nexavar® is an oral multiple kinase inhibitor for the management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common form of liver cancer, and patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most sweeping type of kidney cancer.

Nexavar® also provides cancer treatment for patients with thyroid cancer that has progressed subsequent standard therapy. These results were recently have taken the oncology world by storm and given great hope to patients who suffer from this type of thyroid disease.

Thyroid Gland

The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones primarily connected to metabolic processes in the body. Nearly thirty-eight thousand new cases will be diagnosed in 2008 within the United States alone, according to the American Cancer Society.

Almost two-thirds of all thyroid cancers happen in people amid the ages of twenty and fifty-five years of age. Taking everything into account, thyroid cancer is regarded as a highly curable cancer because nearly ninety-seven percent of those with this disease are alive after five years subsequent the diagnosis. Not far from ninety-five percent of these cases are determined to be differentiated thyroid cancers; the distinction refers to the type and characteristics of the cancer cells.

Treatment for the Disease

Thyroid cancer is treated by surgery and iodine; however, there remain some patients who do not respond well to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, novel treatments are necessary for patients who fail typical therapy.

In the existing Phase II clinical trial, over thirty patients who suffer from advanced iodine-refractory thyroid cancer were given Nexavar® for at least sixteen weeks. The certain response rate was over twenty percent, and the disease stabilization rate was over fifty percent. These statistics resulted in a disease control rate of over seventy percent.

These numbers give hope to patients who suffer from this disease as shown by the documented result of seventeen out of the nineteen patients evaluated showed rapid response in their thyroglobulin levels. It is important to point out, however, that one of the patients had liver failure, which could be due to Nexavar® toxicity. The co-authors of the study, therefore, concluded that the study results were more positive than would have been expected from chemotherapy treatment.

Consult a Professional

As with any health issue, the ultimate source of information should be your personal physician. There are many online journals and publications that provide interesting articles on the topic, but a personal consultation with your oncologist or personal physician is more informative.

If you or a loved one is suffering from this disease, it is recommended that you speak to your physician about Nexavar® and iodine-refractory thyroid cancer treatment options.

Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association Annual Meeting Scheduled for October 2008

For many people who have suffered from a cancer diagnosis, meeting with other survivors can help heal the wounds of cancer, and thyroid cancer is no different.

The eleventh annual Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association has been scheduled for October 17-19, 2008 in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri. The occasion is focused on people whose hearts have been moved by thyroid cancer and the event is not restricted to patients only.

The occasion is open to patients who are currently being tested, those that have been recently diagnosed, long-term survivors of the disease, and people who have the disease in its most advanced stages. Caregivers and friends are also welcome.

Event Highlights

The occasion will include more than eighty sessions, which feature leading physicians and other consultants who specialize in research within the field. Recent research studies and advances plus follow up treatment plans will be discussed. Coping skills and strategies will be highlighted as well. The occasion will be held at the Sheraton Westport Hotel, also referred to as the Lakeside Chalet, which is located at 191 Westport Plaza in St. Louis.

The cost to secure tickets is fifty dollars, and forty for the annual membership, or thirty-five dollars for the members who are designated as lifetime members. The occasion offers a discount of five dollars for those that register and secure their online reservation before September 17, 2008.

Several research directors will be attending, and this includes thyroid surgeons and endocrinologists that study and practice at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, as well as The Cleveland Clinic New York University Clinical Cancer Center, and not to mention Yale University School of Medicine, plus Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, University of Florida Shands Cancer Center.

Brief History of the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association

Their website has been created and is maintained by survivors of this disease. Their mission was launched in October 1995 and at that time they began developing a network of services that link thyroid cancer survivors and health care professionals around the world.

Their mission is a noble one, which includes providing education, support research, and communication to people that have been touched by this disease. Their website is located at http://www.thyca.org/ and is maintained by the not for profit organization. Their website is packed with useful information relating to thyroid cancer, such as a FAQ section, a "newly diagnosed" section and "recent research", plus a "how to help" section.

If you are looking for more research this topic, we encourage you to visit the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association website.

Thyroid Levels Affect Women's Chances of Developing Alzheimer's Disease

Thyroid and Alzheimer's Disease

According to a report that was released on Monday, women who have abnormal thyroid function, such as low thyroid - called hypothyroid - or excessive thyroid hormone - called hyperthyroid - may have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Pending more research on the issue of thyroid and Alzheimer's disease, it has not yet been determined if the reverse is true, meaning researchers have not yet determined if Alzheimer's can affect the thyroid function. These findings are consistent with previous research that has shown that there is a definite association between thyroid and memory loss.

The study was conducted by colleagues Dr. Zaldy Tan from the Hebrew Senior Life, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professors at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. The colleagues focused on documented levels of a thyroid-regulating hormone, which is refereed to as thyrotropin. The priority of the study involved nearly two thousand otherwise healthy men and women above the age of seventy years old.

The researchers drew the blood of the study participants as part of a correlative study, the Framingham Health Study, in which virtually all members of a Massachusetts town had their health documented for decades. Dr. Tan revealed in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, that he and his colleagues followed the medical history of over two hundered of the study participants who had later developed Alzheimer's disease.

Women, Thyroid Levels and Alzheimer's Disease

It was found that women with reduced and those with elevated levels of thyrotropin had virtually double the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease. And contrasting the same study, which was conducted on male participants, it was revealed that no such link was found in the male participants of the study.

What Causes the Link Between Thyroid and Alzheimer's Disease?

The link may develop after changes in the brain, which are caused by Alzheimer's disease, that later result in a reduction in the amount of thyrotropin released. Conversely, low or high thyrotropin levels could injure brain cells or blood vessels. It is also revealed, however, that the testing is preliminary and that the findings of the study need to be further tested in larger populations before a definitive relationship between thyroid and Alzheimer's disease is proven.

Study Results Limited

The scientists noted, however, that this research publication’s findings might be preliminary because of the limited availability of only a single thyrotropin substance without data on thyroxine levels, in addition to depression status and many other variables of illness that could affect thyroid hormone levels, or the use of antithyroid medications.

Study Exclusive to Caucasians

Also important to note, the findings of the study were conducted on a nearly all-Caucasian population, which suggests that the findings require further validation in more varied populations, according to Dr. Tan and his research partners. The authors also remarked that when analyses were focused on individuals with thyrotropin levels of nearly 0.5 to as high of a level of 5.0 mIU/L, the link between thyrotropin levels and Alzheimer's disease was less amplified.

The researchers wrote that this might suggest that a link between thyroid and Alzheimer's may have been related to individuals with more excessive thyrotropin values in the full analysis.

Consult a Professional

If you are interested in learning more about the link between thyroid levels and memory function, it is recommended that you consult with a professional health care provider who is experienced in the field of thyroid disease.

For further reading:

• http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Thyroid/tb/10293
• http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28503922.htm